Apparatus for applying coating



New; 6, 3945. R. s. EISNER 2,388,605

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING COATING Filed May 14, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

A T T ORNEYS Nov; 6, 1945. R. s. EISNER 2,333,605

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING COATING Filed May 14, 1945 ZSheets-Sheet 2 M f .k ATTORNEY-5 mm RN am E Q fig W u h \CQ 1% N Patented Nov. 6, 1945 2,388,605 APPARATUS For: APPLYING COATING Robert S. Eisner, Red Bank, N. liq asslgnor to Sigmund Eisner 00., Red Bank, N. 3., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 14, 1943, Serial No. amass 4 Claims. (01. 15-1401) This invention relates to the application of coating materials in the form of fluids containing a volatile solvent and is concerned more particularly with a novel apparatus, by the use of which such coating fluids may be applied rapidly and, at the same time, limited to selected areas on the article receiving the coating. The apparatus of the invention may be employed for a great variety of purposes, but since it affords special advantages when used in the manufacture of fabric articles, such, for example, as raincoats, an embodiment of the apparatus suitable for such use will be illustrated and described for purposes of explanation.

At the present time, one type of raincoat in wide use is made of a light-weight fabric of suitable material and construction which is coated on one or both sides with a waterproof synthetic material, such as a synthetic rubber or resin. In the manufacture of a raincoat from such material, the coated fabric is cut and sewn in the usual way. Thereafter, in order to seal the stitching and the seams against the entrance of moisture into the interior of the garment through the needle holes and between the piles sewn together at a, seam, a layer of coating material is applied along each seam, either on the inside or the outside of the garment, or on both sides. The material preferred for the purpose is a solution of the synthetic compound containing a volatile solvent and with or without a pigment and it is applied in a narrow stripe overlapping each scans in such manner as to coverthe stitching and the crevice between the plies.

The application of the coating fluid to seal such a garment satisfactorily along the seams presents a, difilcult problem in that if the fluid is applied by an ordinary brush dipped into an open vessel of the coating material, the operation is extrzmely slow and laborious, because of the care with which it must be done in order to insure sealing that will pass a hydrostatic test. The fluid must be applied evenly and over a limited area on the garment and it should be distributed with as little brushing back and forth as possible, since the solvent in the fluid may attack the fabric coating, with the result that thin spots in the coating may be formed. Preferably, the fluid should be applied by being caused to flow into place and any common form of air gun with a wide, thin discharge nozzle, known as a striping'attachment, suggests itself at once for the purpose. Such a device is, however, quite impractical for the following reasons.

When the garment lies spread out on a table ready for treatment, the seams to be sealed are not always straight and do not lie flat. Also, the nozzle should be moved along each seam with the axis of the nozzle transverse to the. seam and, as the nozzle is rigid with the gun, it is difficult for the operator to so manipulate the gun as to insure that the nozzle will have the proper relation to a curved seam as it is moved along that seam. In order to seal a seam, it is necessary that the fluid should enter the crevice between one ply and the free edge of the other and, when a gun witha striping attachment is used, the operator has no means for insuring that the fluid will enter the crevice mentioned.

The present invention is, accordingly, directed to the provision of an apparatus by which a coating fluid may be rapidly applied to a limited area on an article to be coated and distributed over that area evenly and in such manner as to enter any crevices within the area. By the use of the apparatus, the coating material, even though of high viscosity, may be kept from spreading or running beyond the boundaries of the area to be coated, so that upon completion of the coating operation, the article may be moved about or hung up without danger of the coating fluid running so that the coating becomes thinne in some places and thicker in others.

In the use of the apparatus, the material is applied by means of a brush which has a. passage through the base thereof to which the coating 'fluid is continually supplied under pressure. The supply of fluid is under the control of the operator and in applying the fluid, he coordinates the flow of fluid to the brush and the rate of movement of the brush along the surface tov be coated, so that the brush, as it is moved along, distributes a thin even layer of the material over the area. At the'same time, the bristles of the brush tend to enter any crevices in the article within the area and, as the fluid flows along the bristles to the surface with which they are in contact, the material is introduced into the crevices to seal them. As the rate at which the fluid can be supplied to the brush is under the control of the operator, he can move the brush rapidly overa straight area and move slowly along a curved path, controlling the flow in each instance, so that coatings of similar thickness are applied in two cases. Immediately to the rear of the'point of\contact of the brush bristles with the area to be coated, a jet of air may be directed against the coated surface. The air is discharged under light pressure so that it does not tend to blow the coating but merely to cause it to set and the air congeals the coating so that it does not run beyond the boundaries of the coated area to any considerable extent.

The apparatus of the invention may resemble a conventional air gun in some respects, but is appropriately modified to include the brush, a mounting therefor which permits the brush to be readily removed and the parts cleaned, and a nozzle by which the air jet may be directed against the freshly applied coating material.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing one form of apparatus embodying the invention; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are longitudinal sectional and top plan views, respectively, of one part of the apparatus.

The apparatus illustrated in Fig, 1 includes a device In generally similar to a conventional air gun and having a body ll provided with a neck I: to which may be connected a flexible tube I3 leading to a vessel l4 containing the coating fluid under pressure. The gun is also provided with a threaded boss i5 to which may be attached a flexible tube It for supplying air under pressure.

The body of the gun is formed with a passage II leading from the end of the neck l2 to an end face ll of the body and there registering with a passage 18 of a bushing II. The outer portion of the passage I8 is formed with a valve seat IS. The bushing I8 has a conical end 20, which is seated in a conical depression in a washer 2|. A face Illa at the base of the bushing I8 is held against the end of the body II by a sleeve 22 which is threaded on the end of the body and engages a flange at one end of the bushing.

Mounted against the outer face of washer 2i is a brush which comprises bristles 23 embedded in a base 24 enclosed within a ferrule 25. The ferrule is provided with a flange 26 which is engaged by a portion of a sleeve 21 threaded on sleeve 22. By unscrewing the sleeve 21, the brush and washer ,2l may be removed for cleaning and the valve bushing i8 may similarly be removed by unscrewing sleeve 22. The base of the brush is formed with a passage 28, which is in alignment with the passage through the end of the bushing 18, and, as shown, the valveseat lies close to the end of the passage through the brush, so that there is no accumulation of material between the end of the base of the brush and the end of bushing l8.

The flow of fluid under pressure into the brush is controlled by a valve stem 29 having a conical end 30 cooperating with the valve seat i9. Stem 29 passes through a bore in the wall of the body and escape of fluid around the stem is prevented by packing 30 held in place by a nut 3|, through which valve stem 29 passes and which is threaded into the wall of the body to compress the packing. Beyond the nut 3|, the stem is exposed through an opening 32 through the body and at the side of the opening opposite to that where nut II is threaded into the body, the stem is provided with a cylindrical collar 33 which enteraa bore 34 in an extension 35 of the body. The collar bears against one end of coil spring 28 seated in the bore and encircling a portion of rod 29 and the other end of spring 3G is seated against a nut 31,

.which is threaded into body extension 25 and is provided with a head 34. The rod 23 extends beyond collar 33 and the nut and head are formed with a bore 34 for reception of the end of the rod. The end of the bore in nut 31 limits the movement of the stem to open valve l8, ill and by tuming the nut in or out, the opening of the valve may, accordingly, be limited.

Air is supplied through neck II to a passage '40 in the body and the air flowing from the neck passes through a valve comprising a valve member 4|normally held against a seat by a spring 42 which is held in position by a nut 43- threaded into a bore in extension 35 of the body. The valve can be forced from its seat by a stem 44 which is mounted in a bore in extension 25 of the body and projects into the opening 32. Escape of air around the stem is prevented by packing 45 mounted in the bore and held in place by a hollow nut 46, which is threaded into the bore and through which the stem projects.

The passage 40 leads to the end of the body adjacent the brush-mounting and a nozzle 41 is threaded into the body in alignment with passage 40 to receive air therefrom. This nozzle is shaped to deliver a thin, wide jet and it is so positioned that the jet strikes the surface being treated to the rear of the end of the brush, when the bristles of the latter are flexed as indicated in Fig. 1.

The flow of coating fluid and air is controlled by a lever 48 pivotally mounted on the body and having an arm 49 which lies in opening 32 and is in constant engagement with the end of the air valve stem 44. As the lever is depressed, the stem 44 is flrst moved rearwardly to unseat valve 44 and permit flow of air through noazle 41. Thereafter, as the depression oi lever 44 continues, arm 49 engages collar 33 on'the stem 29 of the fluid valve and unseats the valve to permit fluid under pressure to flow into the passage 28 through the base of the brush and thence into the body of bristles.

The body of the gun is provided with a handle 50, which may be grasped by the operator, and is also provided with a hook 5| by which the gun may be hung up.

In the use of the apparatus, the operator first spreads out the article on a support to expose the areas to be coated and then grasps the gun with handle 50 lying in the crotch between the thumb and first finger of his right hand and with his middle flnger grasping neck Ii. His first flnger then lies extended along lever 48. The operator depresses handle 48 to cause air to be discharged from the nozzle and fluid to run into the passage 28 through the base of the brush. If nothing further were done, the fluid would run out through the middle of the bristles, but by applying the brush to the article, so that the bristles are flexed against the surface to be treated, as shown in Fig. 1, the fluid is distributed among the bristles and flows out of the brush in a wide band. The operator then moves the brush along the surface to be coated and coordinates the rate of movement and the rate of flow of the fluid so as to apply a thin even coating of the material. The width oi! the layer so applied depends on the original size of the brush and the extent to which it is flexed in use and, with a little practice, the operator can readily apply a thin even coating of the material over the desired area. As the coating is applied by the brush with the bristles flexed, the bristles tend to enter any crevice in the area to be coated face immediately to the rear of the brush causes partial evaporation oi. the solvent in the thin coat- "5 ing, with the result that partial setting of the aaeaeos 3 coating occurs and thetendency of the fluid to spread beyond the limits of the area on which it is applied, is reduced. In instances where the spreading of the material is not undesirable, the air jet may be dispensed with, but ordinarily its use is preferred so that the coating is applied in an even stripe. g

In the application of a coating material which includes a volatile solvent, it is necessary that the parts of the coating device coming in contact with the fluid be cleaned when use of the device is dis continued and, in the present device, the, brush can be quickly removed for cleaning purposes by unscrewing the collar 21. By forming the fluid control valve with a conical end and making use of the washer with the conical recess, the valve lies close to the entrance to the passage through the base of the brush and the washer fllls the space between the conical end of the valve bushing and the base of the brush, so that no material can accumulate in the space that would otherwise be vacant. If desired, the brush can be formed with a conical recess in its base to receive the conical end of valve bushing I 8, but this would probably require the use of a brush of unusual construction andhaving a base s'ufiiciently long to permit the formation of the recess therein. 'Itis, therefore, preferred to employ the washer 2| and make use of a brush having a base of conventional size witha fiat end.

The apparatus of the invention has proved highly successful in the application of coating material of the type mentioned to areas of irregular shape, such as those encountered in the sealing of the seams of raincoats. It is apparent,

however, that the utility of the invention is not limited to that particular application and it may be used for numerous purposes, such as the sealing of seams of inflated articles or for the application of coating fluids for other purposes than seam sealing.

I claim:

1. A device for applying a coating fluid which comprises a body having an end face and a passage for coating fluid supplied thereto under pres-v sure extending therethrough to said end face, a bushing at the end of the body having said end face, said bushing having a face bearing against said end face of the body and a passage therethrough registering at its inner side with the passage for coating fluid in the body, the outer portion of the passage in the bushing terminating in a valve seat, means for removably securing the bushing against said end face of the body, a valve adapted to seat on the valve seat at the outer portion of the passage in the bushing, said valve having a stem extending through the passages in the bushing and body, means for reciprocating said valve and stem, 8. brush having a base formed with a passage, and means fOY'IGIIIOVabIY supporting said brush from the body with the inner end of the passage in the base thereof communicating with the passage in the bushing.

2. A device for applying a coating fluid which comprises a body having an end face and a passage for coating fluid supplied thereto under pressure extending therethrough to said end face, a bushing at the end of the body having said end face, said bushing having a face bearing against a valve seat, a ferrule surrounding said bushing and bearing against a part thereof the ferrule at its inner end being removably secured to the body and holding the bushing in place with said face thereof bearing against said end face of the body, a valve adapted to seat on the valve seat at the outer portion of the passage in the bushing, said valve having a stem extending through the passages in the bushing and body, means for reciprocating said valve and stem, a brush having a base. formed with a, passage, and a ferrule surrounding the base of the brush and bearing against a part thereof, said second ferrule at its inner end being removably secured to the firstmentioned ferrule and removably supporting the brush from the flrst' mentioned ferrule with the inner end of the passage in the base thereof in communication with the passage in the bushing.

3. A device for applying a coating of liquid which comprises a body having a pair of passages plied thereto under pressure, a brush having a base formed with a passage mounted on the body with the passage in the base in communication with the outlet from the coating liquid passage, a

valve for controlling the flow of coating-liquid through said coating-liquid passage and the passage through the base of the brush, a nozzle in communication with said air passage, a valve for controlling the flow of air through said air passage and the nozzle, and a single handle mounted on the valve body for controlling both of said .valves.

4. A device for applying a coating liquid which comprises a body having a pair of passages extending therethrough in the same general direction, one of said passages being for a coatingliquid supplied thereto under pressure and the other passage being for air supplied thereto under pressure, a brush having a base formed with a passage mounted on the body with the passage in the base in alignment and in communication with the outlet from the coating-liquid passage, a

V valve at the outlet end of said coating-liquid passage for controlling the flow of coating liquid through said passage and the passage through the base of the brush, a nozzle in communication with said air passage, said nozzle being positioned at one side of the brush and having the outlet operable to open the air valve first and close it 65 last.

ROBERT S. EISNER. 

